Jonas Gutierrez believes Newcastle are capable of making inroads in the FA Cup this season, with his sights set on the latter stages.

Jonas Gutierrez believes Newcastle are capable of making inroads in FA Cup competition this season, with his sights set on the latter stages.

The Magpies will begin their quest for silverware on Saturday when they entertain Premier League rivals Blackburn in the third round.

They will enter that game full of confidence, with a 3-0 victory over title-chasing Manchester United in their last Premier League fixture keeping them in the hunt for a top-six finish.

As attention now turns to knockout competition, the club are determined to progress as far as possible.

Gutierrez is convinced that Alan Pardew has the quality at his disposal to challenge for top honours and he sees no reason why the Magpies cannot make it to Wembley.

Focus

He said: "We have the players. We don't want to throw up the cup, we want to focus on that tournament as well because it is a beautiful competition.

"If you have good draws, you can maybe reach the semi-finals or even the final.

"First, we must think about the first game, but, of course, we want to keep going in the competition."

Newcastle have already met Blackburn twice this season, with Pardew's men claiming a 3-1 win in the league before coming unstuck by the odd goal in seven during a Carling Cup fourth-round thriller at Ewood Park that required extra-time.

Gutierrez added: "That was a crazy game, but now we have the chance to get our revenge and continue in the cup."